Interview with Jacky Scott

In 1967 Jacky Scott, manager of her father’s bakery Geo. Ort’s, took an MKDC tour of the designated area and decided: ‘I’ve got to be part of this.’ Ort’s took a shop in the City Centre under the arrangement with MKDC for specialist retailers: and did very well. When the specialist lease ran out they initially chose not to sell, wanting security for their 140 employees; but eventually the rental was too high for the business to survive. By this time Jacky had been playing guitar professionally for four years, and had also volunteered at The Stables, Wavendon since 1970, when John Dankworth and Cleo Laine’s project to promote concerts there was announced: ‘I did anything they wanted me to do’.] Jacky finally left Ort’s in 1992 and studied for two years on a foundation course at Northampton Music School, ran a guitar consort, Colibri, and formed the North Bucks Guitar Club. In 1994 she was invited to take on the role of Manager at the Stables; focussing on marketing to help with developing new audiences; The Arts Council were initially reluctant to fund her appointment. She describes working with John and Cleo. As the original building deteriorated, she recalls making her first grant application to the Arts Council Lottery Fund, for the new building project; it was successful. She says: ‘There was a huge sense of attachment’ [to the old building]. However, in her opinion, architect Peter Hall retained all the sense of history in his design. The building period lasted until 2001; by which time Jacky was exhausted and felt a new Manager was needed to take the project forward. She believes Monica Ferguson is just the right person.

Jacky discusses organisations she has been involved in since leaving the Stables, including the Arts and Heritage Alliance MK, Milton Keynes Theatre & Gallery Company, Arts for Health, Festival Fringe and MK Community Foundation. She has a vision of an MK Arts and Heritage Trust similar to the Parks Trust, to generate funding for arts projects. She comments: ‘I think my life would have been very different without Milton Keynes; it’s been the most supportive community to work in’.